


Crossing the Line

by Bisexual_Fangirl_Forever



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Alya Césaire Bashing, Angst, Badass Luka Couffaine, Gen, How Do I Tag, Hurt Luka Couffaine, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Luka Couffaine Knows, Marinette Salt, Matchmaker Alya Césaire, OOC characters, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Song Lyrics, You don't have to read the second chapter it's super salty, kinda OOC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28113762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bisexual_Fangirl_Forever/pseuds/Bisexual_Fangirl_Forever
Summary: Luka is leaving, Alya was only trying to help, and Mari doesn't know what she's doing.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Luka Couffaine, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Luka Couffaine & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	1. Crossing the Line

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a while so it's nice to finally write and post it lol. 
> 
> This song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISXGoMJ_hh8 tis what is in the fic, listen to it it's good. I changed some lyrics tho

Marinette's shoes pounded against the pavement so hard she was sure everyone in Paris was able to hear her racing to the subway.

Could they blame her? Luka was leaving Paris, and this was the last time she would be able to convince him not to leave!

Alya was the final one to convince her to go to him. They were having a conversation in the bakers room after a sleepover and somehow they had ended up on the topic of crush's; just like how the rest of their conversations usually went down.

"C'mon girl! You have to choose, Luka or Adrien? Who is it?" the blogger pushed, painting her toenails.

Mari only sighed and flopped on her back. She winced at the pain it caused when she hit her head on the floor, but ultimately her mind was somewhere else.

The blond or the band?

"I'm not sure Alya! Adrien is-Adrien! But Luka is someone else entirely...But Adrien! Luka! Adrien! Luka! Gah!" She would've kept going if her friend didn't throw a pillow at her face. She sat back up and gave a joking glare to the other, giggling.

"Well, have you talked to either of them?"

"No...I can't talk to Adrien! You've seen how I get all crazy around him...and then Luka is leaving for his internship today, so who know's when I'll see him again." Alya seemed startled at this fact and she whipped her head up in alarm.

"Girl! You're just going to let him go?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because this is an obvious cry for you!" Marinette raised an eyebrow, the brunette needing to explain it more.

"What I'm saying is that Luka loves you, we know this, why would he leave Paris, the only place you are!?"

"Because....he want's to get my attention?"

"Yeah, duh! Why else? Now hurry up and get dressed out of those pajama's, we have a lover boy to catch!"

Mari groaned and clutched a pillow to her chest. She was not ready to talk about her feelings with any boy yet, never mind with Luka! She still wasn't even sure if she liked him or not! There was a part of her that knew she liked Adrien more...but was she ready to face that?

"C'mon girl, you got this! What time does the train leave?"

"Around..." Mari paused to look at the clock on her wall, gasping at what she saw. "Around now!"

Alya cried out and threw the nail polish she was using across the room, racing to stand up and push Mari up as well.

"Let's go, let's go! He's going to actually leave if you don't stop him!" She cried, forcing her best friend out of the room and house. Mari eventually stopped her before she was pushed anywhere else.

"Alya!" She shouted, grabbing the looks of a few people. She turned red with embarrassment and leaned in, her voice now in a small whisper. "Alya, I'm still in my PJ's."

The blogger only put her hands on her hips and smirked.

"That doesn't matter! You need to stop him before he leaves! Run! He's waiting for you!"

Mari nodded sharply and began to do just as she was told, heading for the Couffaine.

And that's how she found herself skipping every other step down on her way to the tracks, to make it faster.

She gasped when she saw the older boy, he was sitting on a bench, fingering an air guitar with his eyes closed.

She almost cried upon seeing him still in Paris, not hesitating in running towards him, screaming his name into the nearly empty station.

The teen in question gave a small 'hm?' before he stood up and saw Mari. He was more confused then delighted to see the girl, which made the girl herself confused, causing her to trip.

She was mid fall when someone caught her, automatically she knew just who it was.

"Luka!" She said in between wheezes.

"Yes, Marinette?"

"Don't leave! You don't have too!" The end of Luka's mouth quirked down a little before he helped the other up.

"I know Mari, but I want too. It's what I want," he simply stated, placing his hands into the pockets of the leather jacket he had bought a few years back.

"But please, you don't have to leave now! I'm here," Marinette responded in a perky tone, not seeing the way Luka raised an eyebrow.

"What...Mari what does this have to do with you?" She giggled, thinking this was all just a test.

"Well, you're leaving because you want me to come and tell you not too, right?"

"Mari-"

"And so I'm here to say that I don't want you to leave, but also because-"

"Marinette-"

"I don't think I like you the way that I do about Adrien, but that doesn't mean you have to leave over it!"

"Marinette please listen to me-"

"Stay here! Please..I'm not too entirely sure how I feel about you, even if I might like Adrien more, so having you here would be a miracle!"

"MARINETTE!" His shout caught the younger off guard, not really sure why he did so.

"Mari..." he looked down at the ground like it was super interesting, a shadow covering his face like a blanket. "Do you really think this is all because of some crush I used to have on you?"

"Well, yeah, why else would you leave!" She stated like it was the most obvious answer ever. "And I'm also saying that I'm not too sure about how I feel, so if you stay then I get to work out those feelings! We both benefit!" She reached forward and grabbed his arm, smiling like nothing was wrong.

"C'mon! Let's go back to the bakery and talk with Alya and-"

"This has to stop now, this thing where you think I'm still into you!" the boy shouted suddenly, pulling back from Mari's grasp. She felt a pang in her heart, was he really going to be like this?

Wait...what did he just say?

"And don't even hear how you condescend just like you've always done!" he removed his a hand from his pocket and pointed it at the younger, taking a confident step forward. She could read it on his face, he was mad.

"This has to stop now, ignoring the things that I have to say! You leave me behind to sit and wait-" his arms went limp and he crossed them across his chest "-the way you've always done..."

"Luka what are you talking about?"

"Marinette, I fell in love with you because I thought you were a loving and honest person. I fell out of love with you because you lead me on, and won't make up your mind for something so obvious."

"But, I thought you were happy?" She asked, confused and honestly concerned.

"Mari listen," he started, pushing his hands back in his pocket and turning towards the empty tracks. "I've wasted my whole life," he began. "I was focusing on other people all the time, including you. I'm taking back what's mine now, it's what I feel it right."

Luka's tone changed from one of anger and frustration to one of sympathy and a little hint of sadness. He turned to the shocked girl, his face and eye's screaming at her to understand where he was coming from.

"Mari listen, I know it's not too late, but you hold me back and you keep me here, when I want to go you're telling me to wait," he paused and turned around slowly, checking the inside of the tunnel. "Well...I won't wait."

He moved forward, this time walking to grab his guitar and slung it onto his back. He grabbed more of his bags as well, moving them so they were closer to where he was going to board.

Marinette followed like a small kid trying to prove her worth to someone who was ignoring her. What was going on?

"Mari this internship is one that I've wanted for a while. I get to play my music without care in the world. This isn't about you this time, no. This is about me finally doing what I want."

Mari sighed.

Eventually Luka stopped and she took this as an opportunity to call herself some more attention.

"But Luka, you're fine here! I could get you a spot with Jagged or with XY of all people! Maybe Penny can book you, she is my unofficial Aunt after all," She stated, obviously not seeing how Luka tensed at what she tacked on at the end there.

"Marinette what don't you understand..." he began, staring straight ahead with his back to the girl he used to love. "There's a line between the winners and the losers. There's a line between the chosen and the rest."

He twisted himself around, throwing his bags down at his feet.

"I don't have the connections like you do Mari. I don't have a rock star uncle or the best parents in the world. I'm not even a permanent hero like you! I'm doing this for me, why can't you see that? See, that this is something I want to do for myself?" The bluenette's breath hitched at the raw emotion in Luka's voice and the tears in his eyes. She had assumed he knew who she really was, he had suspected it before, but even still that came as a shock as well.

"I've done the best I could, but I've always known just where we've stood." He crossed his arms, rubbing a stray tear that fell.

"Me here with the luckless," he gestured behind him, like there were ghosts she was supposed to see. "And you there with the blessed."

"And that line between the beggars and the choosers, is a line that you've never let me quite ignore," he said, staring at her feet, his teeth clenched and hands pressing down so hard onto his arm that his skin was getting nail marks in them.

"Luka..." the hero tried to comfort, but failing as the boy in question only moved out of the way of her hand that was reaching to caress his face.

"How I've tried to jump that great divide..." he chuckled, he couldn't even count how many times on both his fingers and toes. "But I've never got the chances you were given. With Jagged Stone, with becoming Ladybug, with making friends, with everything Mari! This is something I was given, and you tell me to sit back and wait?"

He lifted his head Mari really seeing how much pain he was really in.

"You don't know how much I've been denied-" Marinette crossed her arms, staying silent, feeling a knot in her stomach form. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, both from feeling bad for Luka and guilt for the fact that she never knew.

"Well I'm not being patient anymore!" At that moment the train decided to come speeding in, only fueling what Luka already had. He took a step forward, his hands balled into fists at his side, hair flowing in the wind that had formed.

"I'm crossing the line!" He shouted, trying to be heard over all the noise the machine was making. Mari took a step back, startled.

"And I'm done holding back!" He made a slashing motion with his hands in front of his chest. "So look out, clear the track, it's my turn! I'm taking what's mine, every drop every smidge!"

Luka took a breath and turned around, grabbing his bags as the train came to a stop. He turned back around to the girl he was once dreaming to be with.

"If I'm burning a bridge let it burn!" Suddenly, with that last line, it hit the girl in the face. Luka was leaving. She wasn't going to see him again for...most likely years. She wanted to go up to him, to push him away to make him stay, but instead she stayed where she was with her head down in shame.

The doors of the vehicle opened and Luka stomped towards it.

"I'm crossing the line!"

"Luka-" Mari began finally getting enough inside her to finally speak up."Please don't leave me here."

Luka simply glared, this was a side of him Mari hadn't seen before. He placed his bags down on the chair next to the door, standing instead.

"And for us if we're over that's fine!" He called one last time before the doors closed. There was no turning back, he was doing this. As the train lurched Luka muttered a small goodbye to Paris, but to Mari? He only uttered a small phrase.

"I'm crossing the line."


	2. Defying Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka is back, but not for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> S A L T LIKE OH MY GOD THE SALT 
> 
> VEEERRRYYY SALTY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
> 
> LIKE OH MY GOD YOU DO NOT NEED TO READ THIS CHAPTER I SWEAR HOLY CRAP
> 
> Salt for Mari, a little for Gabe if you look close enough, and also salt for Alya as she is definitely not like this in canon. Luka is ooc as well, but he doesn't really fit my definition of salt.

Luka was back in Paris. He was back...for that day only. It had been three months and every second of everyday Marinette was waiting for him to come back, to come to his senses that this was his home. That this is where he belonged!

So when she heard that he as back for today only she was ecstatic, a day to convince him to stay! She wasn't going to be doing it, no, because he had already made that clear that she was unwanted, but she had friends to help. He would listen to everyone else!

Mari gathered all her friends, Alya, Juleka, Rose, Adrien, everyone! She needed all the back up. Unfortunately, only Alya and Adrien were able to help in the end...but it was them, they could convince anyone to do anything!

Together the three of them boarded the teen's boat, Alya and Mari confident but Adrien was....a little hesitant. He had heard the "horrors" of what Luka had said to Marinette, but they were mostly exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Even still he wondered how much was true.

Did Luka really scream at her?

Did he really slap her like Alya said?

Did he really throw a huge tantrum?

He sighed. The blond knew that wasn't like the boy, but there was a sliver of that story that might be true. The three stopped outside of Luka's bedroom, where the musician in question was...packing?

Mari yelped as he turned around, the girl turning and running so she wasn't seen. What? Did he really hurt her that bad as to make her run?

"Luka!" Alya shouted with a hand on her hip. "Why couldn't you have stayed calm for once, instead of flying off the handle!?"

The older startled before turning around, face falling when he saw the girl standing there.

"I blocked you for a reason Alya, I don't want to talk to you. I'm doing this for me, I don't know how I can get that too you anymore."

"I hope you're happy," she started, ignoring what he had said as Adrien simply stood in the door frame. "I hope you're happy now!"

She got in close to Luka's face, waggling her finger. "I hope you're happy how you've hurt your cause forever, I hope you think you're clever!" Already the ravenette was fed up.

"I hope you're happy," he shot back, anger prominent in his features. "I hope you're happy too! I hope you're proud on how you grovel in submission to feed your own ambition."

Both Adrien and Alya gasped, not expecting anything like that to come from the normally laid back and supportive Luka

"So though I can't imagine how-" she started "-I hope you're happy right now."

"Alya, I don't care anymore. Just-just leave," he said, knowing he wouldn't be able to finish anything that Alya starts just for the fact that she didn't want to hear what he was saying.

She snickered, thinking she had won, turning on her heels to report what had happened to her friend. Adrien only walked in and placed a hand onto the teens shoulder.

"Are the rumors true? Did you really hurt Mari?" He asked innocently. Luka shrugged and went back to packing everything into the two brown boxes...he really didn't have a lot of anything.

"It depends. Hurt her physically, no. I could never do that to her!" He seemed genuine, so Adrien believed. "But hurting her feelings? Definitely. I told her how I felt-or don't-anymore. I guess she just isn't used to having people tell her the cold hard truth."

The Agreste nodded before crouching down, removing his arm and sitting on the floor to watch his friend put things away.

"Alya is spreading the rumors, by the way...she said she's telling it like it is, but I'm not so sure anymore..." he trailed off as Luka groaned.

"Don't listen to anything she says, it'll make your life easier that way."

"Yeah, sure. Where are you going?" He asked, nodding to the stuffed boxes.

Luka paused from where he was stuffing sheet music into a box and twisted around to the younger. He was happy that someone wasn't yelling at him for what he was doing for once, but he could sense that something was coming.

"The place where I had the internship...they really like me. They said I could stay there, working full time if I want, just me and my guitar."

"And you took that offer?"

"Yes. I did, I've wanted this for so long and now my dream is within arms reach!"

Adrien felt his heart break, so it was true. Luka really was leaving Paris...for good. He was about to say something when out of the corner of his eye he saw Mari and Alya. It was a good thing that Luka had his back to them, because if he saw them waving and giving Adrien a thumbs down from just outside the door way, he would have been livid.

"Luka," he said, the teen in question knowing what he was going to say back. "Just say you're sorry. You can still be with the wizard..." He said, replacing "Marinette" with "Wizard" as not to tick Luka off more. He stood up, facing the one who was leaving.

"What you've worked and waited for. You can have all you've ever wanted," He reached up and, once again, placed his hand on Luka's shoulder.

"I may have worked to be with Mari," he began, the girl in question perking up at her name. "but not anymore. I don't want a relationship with her and people need to see this. I don't want it...no. I can't want it anymore!"

The taller shifted out of Adrien's grasped, turning to take a photo he pinned off of the wall. It was of him, Marinette, Juleka, and Rose. Juleka and Rose were being themselves, but Luka was only gazing at the girl who wore pigtails. He had on a face of love sick and tired, a look he wore for all too long.

"Something has changed within me, something is not the same," he paused, ripping the photo so that it was only the siblings and the girlfriend. He placed the bigger part of the photo in a box and simply stared at the other. He turned so he was facing Adrien once more.

"I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game, Adrien. No more will I be pushed around for someone else. No more will I put someone else's wants before my own needs, but now? Now I need to leave Paris to start my own life." He smirked and threw paper Mari in the trash, closing the final box with thick tape.

"Too late for second guessing, too late to go back to sleep...Adrien it's time for me to trust my instincts. To take this step and put myself out there." He got closer so they were only a foot apart in the tiny cabin."You get it, right? Don't you want to leave and just...close your eyes and leap?"

"Well, yeah but...that's for a entirely different reason!"

"To get away from your father? Your responsibility as Chat Noir?" The accuracy in Luka's words seemed to punch the Agreste in the gut. But how did he-

"You two have the same melody inside you, that's why."

"Oh. But-but Luka you have to think, do you really want to do this? It's going to be like...defying gravity hard!" The teen gave a small smile with shiny eyes.

"I do Adrien, I really do want to do this," he stopped, looking at the ground before looking back into the others green eyes.

"It's time to try defying gravity," he looked away and grabbed the few boxes he had. "I think I'll try defying gravity, and you can't pull me down."

He made his way out of the room, rushing past Mari. All the hoping for him not to see her was in vain as she spoke up, Alya both cringing and beaming with pride as she did so.

"Can't I make you understand?" She questioned, desperate for anything to work.

"Mari what are you-" Luka asked, shocked, before getting interrupted.

"You're having delusions of grandeur?"

He sneered, throwing the boxes at his feet.

"Marinette, enough of this. I am not delusional, I am not stupid. I know what I am doing and I will do it no matter what you say," he snapped, Alya seeing red with rage.

"Alya, calm down a little-" Adrien tried, his words falling onto deaf ears.

"YOU ARE DELUSIONAL IF YOU THINK LEAVING IS THE ANSWER! FACE IT, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT OUTSIDE OF PARIS! THIS WON'T EVER CHANGE!" She screamed, Luka not flinched at all.

"I'm through accepting limits," he said, glaring a the two girls he once called friends.

"Cause someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change-" he leaned back down and wrapped the boxes underneath his arms once more "-but 'till I try I'll never know!"

He began to make his way to leave the boat, but Alya grabbed Marinette by the arm. She dragged the other to the exit, closing it off with their linked arms.

"There, now you can't leave!" Alya cried in triumph. Luka growled.

"Too long I've been afraid of, losing love I guess I've lost," he whipped his head to face Mari, who shrunk a little under his gaze. "But if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost!"

He frowned and ducked underneath their arms, both girls stumbling in shock.

"I'd rather buy defying gravity," he said offhandedly. He turned, walking backwards, to smirk at the three standing up on his boat. "Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity; and you can't pull me down."

Adrien gulped, thinking on a panicked mind. He raced forward as Luka turned back around to keep on his way.

"L-Luka!" He cried racing to him, only stumbling a little. The Couffaine's face seemed to bright up a little upon seeing the blond.

"Please, you'll remember to call? To send updates and just...promise you won't forget me?"

"I promise."

"Pinky swear?" Adrien held up his pinky and Luka chuckled. He hooked them together and they kissed them, sealing the deal.

"Pinky swear." He paused, biting his lip to think. "Adrien.."

"What?" 

"Come with me."

"W-what?"

"Adrien, come with me, think of what we could do together," he turned so both of their backs were to the boat. "Unlimited, together we're unlimited!"

Adrien grinned, but it wasn't like it once was. It was sad, a little sympathetic.

"Together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been, Adrien. With your piano or keyboard and my guitar we could do amazing things! Or, it can at least get you free," he said, the notion intriguing to say the least.

"Dreams the way we've planned them," he continued, facing the Agreste and grabbing his hands, able to because he dropped his boxes.

"If we work in tandem," Agreste responded, a little choked up. He knew his answer already, and it hurt to know that quickly.

"There's no fight we cannot win! Not even an akuma! Not even Hawkmoth!" Luka said, getting more and more giddy as each second ticked by. "Just you and I defying gravity!

"With you and I defying gravity," the other's blue eyes were bright and happy, it it broke Adrien's heart. "They'll never bring us down."

With a wide smile and a hopeful face the taller leaned down, grabbing his boxes once more and taking a few steps forward.

"Well? You coming?"

Adrien followed, but instead of continuing to walk, he only gently grabbed Luka by his upper arm. He gave a weak smile and the other felt his heart drop.

"I hope you're happy," he muttered. "Now that you're choosing this...but I can't go. I have responsibility's here."

"You too...I hope it brings you bliss," he placed the boxes down once more, instead replacing the things in his arms with Adrien. He hugged him close, not knowing when he would get to do it again.

"I really hope you get it-" Adrien started.

"And you don't live to regret it," Luka finished.

"I hope you're happy in the end! I hope you're happy my friend..." A stray tear or two fell down both guy's faces. 

"You aren't going to stop me?"

"No...because everyone deserves a chance to fly. Even you." They were both going to go on and do great things....and they both felt it deep in their hearts.

* * *

  
Adrien was older now, years had passed since he had last seen Luka in real life. They still talked, but with each other's career choice it was hard. Adrien didn't have much of a choice, that is. He wanted to go into what he wanted, but his father forced him into this. Something about the family legacy or whatever, it didn't matter anymore.

The press was always up his ass with questions on a new fashion line, and being Chat Noir was a struggle as well, so whenever he was given free time he savored it.

It wasn't every day that he turned on the TV, but he needed something to clear out that background noise, all the stress and doubts that adulthood threw at him.

He clicked on the tech and sat down in a chair that was too stiff to his liking. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, but he stopped when he heard an old voice. It sparked something in his memory and things he didn't know he forgotten came back

A band named after some sort of animal.

A blue haired guitar player with a passion. 

Sneaking out to hang out with both him and others.

There was someone singing on the stage, the TV flickering it's light. He was introduced as Silencer, a silly stage name, because Adrien knew who he really was, and what he was singing about.

"So if you care to find me, look towards the western sky!" He belted. He was older as well, with long hair that went past his shoulders instead of it's old short cut, and slight muscles instead of his young and lanky body. "As someone told me lately, everyone deserves a chance to fly!"

He had a wide grin and bright eyes that were staring straight into the camera. It was like he was singing right to Adrien.

"And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free. To those who ground me, take a message back from me!" Luka sang. Adrien smirked, but it wasn't mischievous, only admiring.

"Tell them how I am defying gravity! I'm flying high, defying gravity," he went on, bouncing all around the stage with such high energy it was amazing. "And soon I'll match them in renown...and nobody in all of Oz, no wizard that there is or was-" both men's, the one singing and the one watching, eye's lit in recognition "-is ever gonna bring, me down!"

As the rest of the song went on, featuring a riff that Adrien could only dream of trying to pull off on his own, the fashion designer began to think. If Luka was able to achieve his dreams, then he could too, right?

He entered his own room and sat down at his old piano. It used to be fun, before his father stepped in, so maybe it could be fun again. As he blew the dust off of the instrument Plagg suddenly appeared from behind him, most likely had finished his sixth cheese of the day, questioning what was going on.

"Plagg?"

"Yeah kid?"

"I think It's time to try and defy gravity..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbLug8M_5HQ


End file.
